Friday’s Fave Five ~ You Can Go Home Again…

I never thought I was a morning person but the older I’ve gotten the more I’ve enjoyed early morning and seeing the Sunrise. I’ve been out with Dear at dawn and by myself at dawn this week and it really is a glorious time of the day…

It was very cool to go to the Camarillo Ranch House on Sunday for the celebration of Adolfo Camarillo’s 145th birthday and see these famous Camarillo White horses.

During the celebration they had the great old Victorian house open for tours. I enjoy walking through and seeing the architecture and period pieces in all the rooms. I’d love a breakfast room like this…heck, I’d love a formal dining room like this. There is a very grand dining room just next to this room.

So you know the saying “You can’t go home again” well I met up with one of my best friends from high school in our home town for lunch this week. While we were there we decided to drive over to our alma mater and take a photo. We also drove down memory lane to each of our childhood homes to see what they look like today…

On the way home from our lunch I took a detour to here. First United Christian Molokan Church on Lorena St. in East Los Angeles. As a child and pre-teen my family spent lots of time here. My grandfather was a preacher/elder at this church. I am grateful and thankful to God that He led my father and our family out of this religion and into His marvelous grace filled life. My father accepted Christ as his Savior at the Billy Graham Crusade in Los Angeles in 1963.

If I was still a Molokan and as a married woman I would have to dress like this for church…

I spotted this Molokan lady while I was in Montebello yesterday. She’s probably on her way to a lopsha lunch after a funeral. She’s wearing all white and after the graveside ceremony you go home and change into your white outfit for the funeral meal. Lopsha (Russian noodle soup) is usually served after the graveside service. Borsch is more typically served at weddings.

I really enjoy traditions and I partipate in traditions. BUT I have to step back and evaluate when my traditions become my religion instead of relying on what Jesus did for me on the cross. For me worship is all about Jesus. From time to time it’s good to seriously evaluate what I am worshiping.

And now I’m off to see the sunrise and then a fun time is afoot. I’m picking up Willow and meeting Sara (another local blogger) to tour the Getty Museum. We’re going to be exposed to some great works of art. Have a great day everyone and I’ll come around to see your favorites later this afternoon.

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

I’m glad for your fathers salvation (Mr. Graham is a good man), but, you cannot be more incorrect about the Molokan people.

First, they don’t have priests. They have non-paid ministers. Only the janitor get’s paid, nobody else. It’s a thankless job getting called 3AM to pray from someone that never really goes to church. With that, I thank your grandfather.

In the days of your father they only spoke Russian in church and the youth were more about challenging than seeking the truth. So, instead of asking those that did speak English, they made things up so they wouldn’t have to speak the language and ran away. Today, the services are still in Russian but everyone speaks English.

The principle statement of faith for Molokans reads as follows: All of us believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit by the Word of the kiss of the Angel Gabriel (Luke 1:35, Matt 1:18-20)….

Anything else is decoration(not salvation): clothes (the women dress like brides every time they go to church), food (which is too good), language (which is poetic), etc.

Molokans can come and go to any and all services of any denomination but normally choose not to. Their Spiritual freedom cannot be hindered as they are in the Truth.

You see, you were mislead and I’m sorry for that. It would have been nice to have someone as passionate as you in the fold. I encourage you to search out a church going Molokan to help you with your understanding. Ironically, you won’t find one on the Internet.

Linda, thanks for leaving a comment. I appreciate you taking the time.

You really need to look up Luke 1:35 and Matt. 1:18-20 and reconsider the end of your principle statement. Where in the world did you get the part about “by the Word of the kiss of the Angel Gabriel”?
If the Molokan church has a doctrinal statement that’s great. I would love to see it. I wonder if Freeway church, Blue top Church, Big Church, Kern Avenue church and other Molokan churches have the same principle statement.
I have not been mislead or uninformed. My history and what I saw and know is not negated by your experience and what you think the Molokan church is teaching.
And just to set the record straight. There are a lot of traditions from our Russian ancestors that I love and think are great. Every culture has wonderful food as our Russians have and I appreciate the good food that speaks of home and my mother’s and grandmother’s gift of hospitality. The act of asking for forgiveness in the Molokan church and that my mother and father instilled in us with great modeling is something that is good if we respond and forgive each other. But first and foremost and always to be high and lifted up is Jesus and what he has done for us. We need to not forget His great commission to go to all the world and preach the gospel. We need to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Those neighbors are Black, Hispanic, Asian, you name it …not just our Russian Molokan brethren.

I am also thankful for my parents Salvation when they too accepted the
Lord Jesus as their Saviour at Billy Graham Crusade in L.A. in 1963.
My parents were also Molokans and my Dad was the pastor and left the
Molokan church because of the way they preached. Molokans do not
accept outsiders and they do let you know it. What a familiar site.

Wow..never heard of the Molokan church. Traditions can take over so many no matter what church they attend. I’m impressed with your early morning walking…the older I get the more I like to sleep in and stay up late… well not too late but I like my morning sleep. My walks like to happen around 9 or so. :o)

I love what you have to say about traditions and religion, its so true. There is nothing wrong with good things, but when they become our focus, we lose the point of the gospel. Sounds like you have a lot to be thankful for. I love your pictures.

I would like to add, that I too, have never read in God’s Word -the Bible-anything about a kiss of Gabriel being the “spirit” that created Jesus in Mary’s womb.

Thankfully, only because of God’s grace, the birth of Jesus, His death and resurrection are we saved……it’s not what we wear or don’t wear; what language we speak or don’t speak; or even what church we attend or don’t attend.

Praise God that your father received God’s gift of salvation and lived it to pass on to his children, grand children and great grand children.
A Legacy to behold!!

I found the part about the Molokan religion very interesting. I don’t even know what it is, but I see the word “Christian” in front of it. I’m going to investigate it further. Interesting. I’m glad you belong to Jesus, no matter what faith you practice.

I’m sorry but you have it all wrong about how the food we have has became much more of a desire than what believe it. The reason why we have lopsha for the memorial service after the funeral is because it’s so much easier for the family to make it than borsch. they can make borsch all they want but it’s kind of hard to make when you just had to morn for someone you love. As for weddings we have lapsha alot. It just matters on what the family prefers more.

I enjoyed your pictures, and story of your early life in Montebello. My girl friend did
volunteer work at the Montebello Library and I used to play at the Rio Hondo Bridge on
Wittier Blvd as a child. I can relate to your story very well, having lived there and done
many of the same things, I also am a MHS alumni, Class of 66, and had good friends that
were Molokan. Of course they like myself were Christian’s in name only. Now I am not
knocking the Molokan’s because I believe they are sincere in their worship and do their
best to please God, but I am knocking the Clergy because they are misleading the people.
Any religion that meddles in war and politics that spreads false doctrines and that
tolerates immorality is not approved by God. (2 Timothy 3:5) It wasn’t until 1967 that I
understood what it meant to be a Christian. There are so many religions and they all claim
to be the true Church. In the US alone there are over 1500 Protestant denominations. But
if you read the bible book of Revelations it explains the confusion. It talks about
“Babylon The Grate” the “Mother of the Harlots” and it identifies this “Woman” as being
false Religion, (Revelations 17:3) that includes the three major Christian religions,
Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant it also includes the Moslem, Jewish, Hindu,
and Buddhist, Religions. This “Woman” symbolizes all of them. Go to Utube on the
internet and type in “Babylon the Grate” and see what comes up!

So how can you tell if your Religion is approved by God? For me it was simple, Jesus
said you will know them by their works, by the love they have among themselves you
will recognize them” John 13:34,35. 15:12, 13. Matthew 22:36-39 Roman’s 13:8-10